1306 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



Days and hours spent by me in searching for a nest met with no 

 success. I came to the conclusion that this Flycatcher must have been 

 breeding high up in the silver firs, Abies tmhhiana, than which trees none 

 are more difficult to spot the nests of small and inconspicuous birds in. 

 But one day long after I had ceased to devote exclusive attention to these 

 birds, my woodcutter coolie, who had orders to report any nests he found, in- 

 formed me that he had found one of sorts. Proceeding to the spot I saw 

 a small nest from which the young had evidently flown, situated about 10 

 feet from the ground in the fork of a branch of a small silver fir in forest. 

 Built of moss and grass, it was deep and cup-shaped, and densely lined 

 with feathers. My knowledge of the birds of the locality combined with a 

 process of elimination and, above all, reference to a published description 

 of nests of the present species (Stuart Baker, Ibis Vol. VI., No. 22, p. 279) 

 with which it tallied, led me to the conclusion that I had at last, only too 

 late, found what I had so long sought. 



As remarked {ibid) the Rufous-tailed Flycatcher does not make sallies 

 from a selected perch when capturing its prey, but flits from branch to 

 branch. In disposition it is pregnacious, chasing away other small birds 

 that come near it. Especially intolerant does it seem of the Himalayan 

 tree-creeper, Certhia himalayana. ' It was not numerous in Sonemurg and 

 pairs did not breed near each other as in the case of S. sibirica. 



Like Mr. S. L. Whymper I too found a tree nest of the Plumbeous Red- 

 start, Rhyacornis fuliginosis . This was over 20 feet up, and built in a 

 crevice in the stem of a silver fir. 



The Red-flanked Bush Robin, lanthia rufilata, is to the nest hunter in 

 these forests what the Ruddy Sheldrake is to the Duck Shooter on our 

 Indian Rivers, namely, an unmitigated nuisance, for its loud harsh scolding 

 or alarm note puts every little bird within 100 yards radius on the qui- 

 vive and all come to see the trouble and take warning accordingly. 



In different localities songs of males of the same species differ, and often 

 to a considerable extent. For instance up the Sind Valley, at about 

 7,000 feet, the song of Tickell's Ouzel, Merula unicolor, which, in the 

 Kashmir Vale below, is a monotonous repetition of a few notes, was here 

 much more varied and melodious. So much was this the case that on 

 occasions I was led to stalk a singing Thrush not recognising it from the 

 song. In every case it proved to be of the present species. 



The low pitched musical call note " Tew" followed by a quickly repeated 

 " Tewtya" is quite characteristic of " The Orange Bullfinch," Fhyrulla auran- 

 tiaca, and will, even midst a variety of forest sounds, always indicate the 

 presence of this bird. By imitating the note it is not difficult to bring the 

 bird into one's immediate presence. I used often to call a male into a tree 

 by my tent, where he would sit and sing lustily, and I once called him down 

 on to my tent ropes. The song as mentioned {ibid) sounds " metallic, " but 



